Random Articles
Why Humans?
by B. L. Cocherell (Nevada)  Why did the Sovereign God create anything? And especially why did he create humans which are uniquely different in many ways from all other life forms on earth? Before beginning our search for the biblical answers to these two questions, imagine you are a sentient, all knowing, all powerful immortal being alone in a timeless and empty dimension without other beings like yourself to interact with. Would you be happy, or would your life be lonely and without purpose? Would you be content with this existence, or would you find your life tiresome and meaningless? Would […]
Tithing: Fact, Fiction, or Fraud?
by B. L. Cocherell (Nevada)  Many religious organizations teach tithing as the means of supporting their particular work. And many millions of people over the years who have regularly dedicated a percentage of their income to God have felt that they have been physically and spiritually blessed as a result of their giving. Many who live by the principle of giving a tenth of their income to a church will attest to the benefits of tithing based on their own personal experiences. But are the elect children of God required to give a tenth of their income to support the work […]
Atonement Rituals
(Copyright) by B. L. Cocherell (Nevada) This study examines the Day of Atonement rituals using Leviticus, chapter 16, as a guide to show why God designed the Day of Atonement and why he required the high priest to enter the Most Holy Place once a year to perform the rituals of atonement. There is some dispute among Bible scholars as to the chronological order of the rituals during this day. Because of this dispute and the complexity of the rituals, this study does not attempt to place each ritual in chronological order; instead, each ritual is analyzed as an individual event. It […]
The Spices and the Visits to Christ’s Tomb
by B. L. Cocherell (Nevada)  There has been much confusion about the sequence of events surrounding preparation of spices and the visits to Christ’s tomb, because there seems to be no chronological order to the events as recorded in the gospel accounts. This study provides a plausible sequence of events by reviewing them in four segments: The time frame, Jesus’ burial, the women’s spice preparation, and the visits to the tomb. The Time FrameLong before the beginning of the Sabbath, Pilate gave his permission for Jesus to be crucified (Mk.15:13‑20). Everyone knew that, unless there were divine intervention, Jesus would die […]
Overview of the Covenants
by B. L. Cocherell & Vernon O. Jones (Nevada)  The following pages contain the basic outlines of the old and new agreements with national Israel and the Sovereign Father’s agreement with the elect during the Gospel age of salvation.  THE FIRST AGREEMENT WITH NATIONAL ISRAEL TYPE OF AGREEMENTThe first agreement was an exclusive agreement between God and the individuals who comprised national Israel. Moreover, this agreement was open-ended and included the ten commandments, obedience to whatever God asked of them, and the practice of the sacrificial system. Deut.29:1. ExclusiveThe agreement was made exclusively with the nation of Israel, but other people could participate […]
The Festival of Atonement
by B. L. Cocherell (Nevada)  The Day of Atonement is the fifth annual festival, and is probably one of the most complex, mysterious, and misunderstood of the festivals celebrated in ancient Israel. However, God has preserved the knowledge and understanding of his plan of salvation in all of the annual Festivals which he revealed to the Israelites after he brought them out of Egypt. In order to fully understand the meaning of the fifth festival, it is important to begin by understanding that Israel’s physical deliverance from Egypt was prophetic of being freed from the bondage of sin and its […]
Are there Still Elders in the Church?
by B. L. Cocherell (Nevada)  Some believe and teach that the early church did not have an organized ministry which selected men who were given authority through the ritual of laying on of hands to supervise, teach, and govern congregations in an official leadership capacity. Some also believe and teach that men identified as elders in the early church were not spiritual leaders but were just older men with no official capacity. The logic used to attempt to validate these two beliefs, is that the Greek words translated in most English bibles as ordained are not a correct translation of these […]
Does it Matter Where You Worship?
by B. L. Cocherell (Nevada)  Does the physical location where congregations of the elect assemble to worship God the Father have any positive or negative impact on one’s relationship with him or his Son? Does it displease the Father for his children to assemble to worship him in places dedicated to false religious systems or to other gods? In order to come to an understanding of the Father’s will about where one should and should not assemble to worship him, one must understand the instructions that the Creator God gave to the nation of Israel concerning how to deal with false […]
Christmas, Easter, Halloween & Other Non-Biblical Holidays
by B. L. Cocherell (Nevada) Easter, Halloween, Christmas, and the national Thanksgiving holiday in the United States are among the most commonly observed religious and secular observances which many people believe are a part of the Christian God’s worship system; however, basic research into the origin of these observances shows these observances to be unacceptable to God the Father and Jesus Christ. Anyone who wishes to worship the true God and his Son correctly should understand the seriousness of celebrating these religious and secular observances, because their origin and practice involved fertility rites, sexual licentiousness, and the worship of false gods […]
If You Believe
by Bud Cocherell (San Jose, California) If you believe that Herbert W. Armstrong restored all truth and that you do not need to follow the instructions of the apostle Peter to Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, then read no further. But if you believe the prophet Hosea’s prophetic warning: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me: seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.; and if […]